Chapter 89: A True Shutout

Two consecutive elementary mistakes...

Such a thing, if it had happened to Class Three, Grade One, whose morale was low, would not have seemed strange. But instead, it occurred in Class Six, Grade Three, the dominant side, and to He Juan, whom everyone expected to perform flawlessly. This could not help but surprise the spectators.

“What’s going on with He Juan? She’s made two basic mistakes in a row. Is she so pleased with herself that she’s lost her head?” In the stands, several teachers from nearby universities frowned.

Previously, they had all wanted to recruit He Juan for their volleyball teams, but after those two consecutive blunders, their thoughts began to waver.

He Juan was unaware of all this; she was crouched on the court, holding her nose. Crimson blood seeped through her fingers, dripping onto the floor.

“The captain’s nose is bleeding!”

“Who’s got tissues? Quick, get some tissues to stop her nosebleed!”

Class Six, Grade Three, was suddenly in chaos. Some crouched beside He Juan to comfort her, others ran about searching for tissues, gauze, or anything that could stem the bleeding.

It was only a school-level match between students; there were no team doctors or similar professionals present.

However, the school had anticipated the possibility of injuries and had stationed a medical team at the sidelines.

Seeing someone injured and bleeding, the two school doctors hurried onto the court. With a simple treatment, they packed a cotton ball dusted with hemostatic powder into He Juan’s nose.

The bleeding stopped, but He Juan had lost face in front of the entire gymnasium.

For someone as proud as He Juan, this was utterly intolerable.

Her homeroom teacher, Pang Jiahui, not only failed to comfort her but stepped forward to pour oil on the fire: “He Juan, what’s going on with you? If you don’t want to win this match, just say so. I’ll substitute you right away. Don’t throw the game for me!”

Pang Jiahui wanted to win—though Class Six, Grade Three, still held a solid advantage, those two consecutive mistakes had sparked a hint of unease in his heart. To ensure victory, he needed to nip any possible mishap in the bud.

Don’t want to win?

Throwing the game?

Hearing Pang Jiahui’s words, He Juan’s expression grew darker still.

If he weren’t her teacher, her homeroom teacher, she would have slapped him right then. But now, she could only grit her teeth and say, “I want to win this match more than you do! Don’t worry, those two mistakes are history! From here on out, I won’t give them a single chance!”

He Juan once again threw down a fierce declaration, her confidence unwavering.

Yet the ensuing match proved that her words were nothing more than a series of jokes.

Because Class Three, Grade One, kept scoring!

Whether their serves, spikes, and blocks were good or bad, they always managed to break through Class Six, Grade Three’s defense and win point after point. On the other side, no matter how hard Class Six, Grade Three, tried, they either missed the ball or made inexplicable mistakes.

The situation on the court flipped in an instant. Many spectators began to wonder if, during the break, Class Three, Grade One, and Class Six, Grade Three, had switched jerseys. Otherwise, how could this set be so drastically different from the previous two?

Pang Jiahui was sweating profusely from anxiety.

No matter how loudly he shouted from the sidelines or how fiercely he berated He Juan and the others during time-outs, it was all to no avail...

Class Six, Grade Three, kept making mistakes and losing points. Their once-high morale was ground down to nothing as the match progressed. Except for He Juan, who refused to admit defeat, every other team member hung their heads in dejection.

No matter how hard they tried, how fiercely they fought, they couldn’t score and kept making baffling errors... Such circumstances would break even professional players’ mental defenses.

Many members of Class Six, Grade Three, silently prayed for the set to end quickly.

Finally, with the shrill sound of the referee’s whistle, the third set came to a close.

The players of Class Six, Grade Three, collapsed onto the floor. The third set had been nothing short of torment for them! Both body and spirit had been battered. They felt this set had been more exhausting than the previous two combined.

In contrast, Class Three, Grade One, was jubilant, hugging each other and celebrating their victory in the third set.

Li Sicheng joined the celebration, applauding as he turned to Lin Siyu and Tan Xiaoxiao and the others, saying, “Well done! Didn’t I tell you you could shut out the opponents? See—I wasn’t lying, was I?”

His words left Lin Siyu, Tan Xiaoxiao, and the others stunned. They all turned in unison to look at the scoreboard at the edge of the court.

Focused on the game, they hadn’t noticed the score. Now, seeing the scoreboard, they were shocked to discover they had won 25 to 0!

A shutout!

They had actually shut out their opponents!

And their opponents were last year’s school champions! In the previous two sets, this formidable team had crushed them...

“I... Am I seeing things? Is the score really 25 to 0? How... How can this be?” Tan Xiaoxiao gaped in disbelief.

She could hardly believe that such a staggering score was real!

Her voice was loud, so loud that many in the stands heard it.

Moments before, everyone had been amazed by the strange match and bizarre mistakes, and hadn’t paid attention to the score. They only knew that Class Three, Grade One, had won, but not by how much.

Now, seeing the score on the board, everyone was stunned.

After a brief silence, the gymnasium was ignited, with cries of astonishment echoing everywhere:

“Whoa! 25 to 0? Is this score for real, or is the scoreboard malfunctioning?”

“A shutout... I never imagined Class Three, Grade One, could shut out Class Six, Grade Three! This doesn’t make sense—did someone get the script wrong?”

“When the third set began, Li Sicheng said something about shutting out the opponent. I thought he was cheering for Class Six, Grade Three. Turns out he was speaking to the players of Class Three, Grade One. Even more incredible, Lin Siyu and Tan Xiaoxiao led their team to actually achieve this! Aside from ‘miracle,’ I can’t think of any other word to describe this set!”

“He Juan boasted before the set that she would shut out the opponent. But in the end, it was she who got shut out. I wonder how she feels seeing this score?”

How does He Juan feel?

She only had one thought at that moment: to find a crack in the floor and crawl into it!

Her face had been utterly slapped swollen.

No... No, to be precise, she no longer had any face to lose...

(Three chapters in one burst—the second update is here! If you’re enjoying the story, don’t forget to tip, vote, and add to your favorites! Xiao Wu bows in thanks!!)